State Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, posted a $5,000 bond Tuesday and was released from the Fulton County jail after being charged last week with 18 counts of filing false expense claims and theft.
Balfour’s indictment is based on allegations that he charged the state for expenses on days he did not have those expenses. Attorney General Sam Olens, whose office is prosecuting the case, brought the charges after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ended an inquiry in December.
The GBI looked at the matter after the apparent discrepancies in Balfour’s expense reports became public last year. The Senate stripped him of his longtime position as chairman of the powerful Rules Committee, which decides what bills reach the Senate floor for a vote. The Senate Ethics Committee also publicly rebuked Balfour, fined him $5,000 and ordered him to repay the state about $350.
Balfour, first elected in 1992 and currently the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, now awaits the naming by Gov. Nathan Deal of a three-member panel that will decide whether he should remain in office while under indictment.
The state constitution calls for such a committee. Once named, the panel has 14 days to issue a written report; its decision is final.
If suspended, Balfour would continue to collect his $17,000 legislative salary but could not act in an official capacity. His seat would also remain vacant until the next election.
The suspension would be lifted if Balfour is not convicted.
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